Head Coach Doug Marrone Press Conference Trancript (Nov. 28, 2011)
Opening Statement:
"Thank you all for being here today. Obviously, it's an unfortunate situation that we're in. It's one that we put ourselves in. We're making mistakes when we play and we have to do a better job coaching. We all have to do a better job. It starts with me, the coaches, and the players. We left some things out there on the table, and when you look back, it hurts.
"But we have another game left. It's an important game against a good football team that's in the same situation as far as their record. Obviously in this game there's a lot at stake because if you win, you get to play another game. You can start on the foundation of correcting some of the things that have happened, and it's easier to do that on the field than off the field. That's the situation that we're in right now.
"I feel the same way from my heart. I apologize. I know what type of program people want. We got ourselves into this situation, and now we have to dig our way out of it. There's no substitute for hard work and good leadership, and I promise you that I will do everything in my power to get this thing corrected."
Have you addressed the mental toughness of the team with the players?
"We've addressed that from day one, and I think it's very difficult. I think there are a lot of things that people who haven't gone through this type of adversity, it's very hard to put yourself in other people's shoes. I think that's a very difficult thing. The young men today, they deal with it quite a bit, and you have to work and push through it. We talk about it right from the beginning, and we feel that as student-athletes, it's really one of the advantages that you can have for the future.
"As dire as a situation become as an athlete, no matter who you are, when you get in the real world, you're going to be faced with greater adversity. So how you deal with it, your mental toughness, what you channel your energy to, all of those things come into play because it's easy to quit for some people. It really is. Once you quit once, the next time it's easier, and it gets easier and easier.
"When you can put your head down and fight through it, and you accomplish something, then you've created a trait where you feel that you can beat anything no matter what. People handle that a lot of different ways. Some people are like, 'It's me against the world.' The way we handle this, we have to make sure that the people who can control what's happening on that field control it in a positive manner."
On the changes that were made before the Cincinnati game and what will happen this week:
"I'll probably have a better sense of that after this game, to be able to comment on the things that we addressed and some of those things. I think what happens now is that it puts me in a tough situation if I say anything in a positive light because we went out and lost a football game. Obviously we didn’t do enough of what we should have done to put us in a position to win. I think it's very hard because I'll always tell you the truth, but I'm not going to be up here giving people excuses. We're in a hole, and we put ourselves in a hole, and we have to dig our way out of it. We have to go out there and do everything we possibly can this week to win a football game."
On the injury update:
"The only person who I know who will be out this week is (senior fullback) Adam Harris, for sure. I'll know more later on in the week. That's the truth."
What are some of the main things that the team has left on the table?
"Some of the opportunities that we've had in games that we've lost to put us in this situation. It's one of those things when you ask, 'How did we get to where we are?' You look and evaluate it and look at what you've done. At the end of the day, you are what your record states, and we're a 5-6 football team right now. None of us wanted to be that type of team. Those are the things that you're constantly looking at and evaluating so that you can change. Like I said before, it's something that we have to work through and we have to keep pushing and get over the top. This has to be our best coaching job and our best performance on the field that we've had all year. That's our goal."
On the impact that the upcoming game has on the preparation this week:
"In college, there are some players where this might be their last game, and that's a sadness that I have, personally. We're going to have seniors who have done everything they could for this program, and they're going to go out there and play a game and it might be the last time they ever play.
"I had a lot of coaches here, and they used to explain that situation to us a little bit. They would tell us that you've done everything in your life to be a Division I football athlete. I had one coach tell me that if you go on and play in the NFL, that's great, but if you don't, you probably won't be able to play at this same level of competition ever again. When you're 21 or 22 years old, you kind of hear it, but as you go through life, that's the thing that I personally, struggle with in this sport.
"You can't leave college or go out and get into a (football) game and go play. I think you can do that in golf. If you're a baseball player, you can go play in a softball league. But you can't do this (football) anymore, whether it's physically or just putting people together.
"I think that's really how I look at this for those players because we're a program that's constantly striving for excellence and to get better. So every single day, you're putting in that type of effort. The program keeps going. The program is bigger than anything, so the program always has to keep moving forward. That's why I'm struggling so much with what we've done in these past four games. We're not moving in that direction right now, and that's hurt. That's physically hurts."
What tools are you trying to give the team to help them battle back from a four-game losing streak?
"We have to win, and we'll use a couple of different methods in talking to the team. I never like saying anything in my press conference that I haven't spoke to the players about. I don't think that's right. We'll do some motivational techniques, but you're motivation no matter what in this game. Whether you've won every game or lost every game, you have to motivate and inspire every week. That's part of coaching. As a player, you have to build yourself up every week to be able to put your best performance on during the game. It's not going to be anything that's shocking. Things change and there are different techniques that you can use. A lot of it is based on the team and what you can say and do to motivate a majority of the team, because everyone's a little bit different on how they're motivated."
How important is it for the team to work hard and to move forward?
"I think it's very important, especially in these types of situations. When you put in all that work and there's nothing to gain from it. That goes back to a lot of what I was taught here as a player (with Coach Dick MacPherson). Winning is important because you go out and work hard and set goals for yourself, and winning is part of the experience. I put a lot of pressure on myself for that because I know that it will help the players later on in life.
"There's a tremendous amount of pressure, but I enjoy it. What we have to do is make sure that our players don't play with that. They need to go out there and play and not think and not worry about making mistakes. I have to make sure that they understand that and they have that ability to go out there and not play tight; to just play the game and fly around and see what happens. That's the thing that you have to do becomes you either become tighter and you can't make plays, or you step up and you make plays. You never stay the same. Obviously you know which one we're going for, we want our players to go out there and make plays."
On how the team is dealing with the allegations with the men's basketball program
"We're Syracuse University, so we support the University and their statements and everything that is going on from the standpoint of what we're trying to do to make sure that everything is done the proper way. That's the way we feel as a team, and that's how I feel as part of this University."
On Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri:
"I've seen them and at times, it's the same situation. They've been able to do a lot of good things sometimes, and other times they haven't had that consistency. It's a lot like the situation that we're in. but they're a very good football team. Defensively, I believe they're 42nd. They return a lot of players who we played against last year. Offensively, they have weapons and they're explosive at times. It's a high octane, fast-paced type offense, so we're going to have to be ready.
"I think more of our concern right now is to make sure that we’re in the right state of mind in what we're doing. I think that's our concentration now. As we go through the week, obviously we'll be putting forth the effort to make sure that we understand what we have to do to beat the University of Pittsburgh and their schemes and what they're trying to do to attack us."
Despite leaving things on the table, is it more motivating that the team still has an opportunity to still get a bowl bid?
"We talked about that after the game a little bit. A lot of times as you get older in life, you don't get many second chances. You definitely don't a lot of third, fourth, fifth or sixth chances. We're in a position now where this is our fifth opportunity. It's probably the last time that we'll ever have this opportunity where you have five opportunities to get to a bowl.
"You have to take advantage of it, and we haven't been able to do it for four straight weeks. We have that opportunity, and obviously that should be good motivation, but there has to be more to it than that because that's been the motivation for the past four weeks."
What have you seen from the senior class in the three seasons that you've been here?
"They've tried to do everything that we've wanted them to do. They're going through the same struggles that I'm going through. You're trying to find answers to questions of why we're not performing that well, and that's why I have to be the person who stands up and tells them exactly what we're doing. We're doing everything we possibly can to make sure that we have the ability to win a football game this week and get back on track.
"I have a lot of respect for all the student-athletes in all the programs at Syracuse in what they have to go through from time management, to the training, to the goals of the teams to the competitiveness in everyone. I have the same thoughts about the players who we here before I was here in Coach Robinson's players, Coach Pasqualoni's players, Coach MacPherson's players, Coach Schwartzwalder’s teams and on and on. I think there's a great amount of respect because we've all gone through the same seats and same types of programs and dedication.
"I look at things a lot like John Wooden in that you don't know how successful your program is until 15-20 years from now to see where those kids are. I feel very confident that we'll be reading about a majority of our players in a positive light where they've changed something for the betterment of this country."
"Thank you all for being here today. Obviously, it's an unfortunate situation that we're in. It's one that we put ourselves in. We're making mistakes when we play and we have to do a better job coaching. We all have to do a better job. It starts with me, the coaches, and the players. We left some things out there on the table, and when you look back, it hurts.
"But we have another game left. It's an important game against a good football team that's in the same situation as far as their record. Obviously in this game there's a lot at stake because if you win, you get to play another game. You can start on the foundation of correcting some of the things that have happened, and it's easier to do that on the field than off the field. That's the situation that we're in right now.
"I feel the same way from my heart. I apologize. I know what type of program people want. We got ourselves into this situation, and now we have to dig our way out of it. There's no substitute for hard work and good leadership, and I promise you that I will do everything in my power to get this thing corrected."
Have you addressed the mental toughness of the team with the players?
"We've addressed that from day one, and I think it's very difficult. I think there are a lot of things that people who haven't gone through this type of adversity, it's very hard to put yourself in other people's shoes. I think that's a very difficult thing. The young men today, they deal with it quite a bit, and you have to work and push through it. We talk about it right from the beginning, and we feel that as student-athletes, it's really one of the advantages that you can have for the future.
"As dire as a situation become as an athlete, no matter who you are, when you get in the real world, you're going to be faced with greater adversity. So how you deal with it, your mental toughness, what you channel your energy to, all of those things come into play because it's easy to quit for some people. It really is. Once you quit once, the next time it's easier, and it gets easier and easier.
"When you can put your head down and fight through it, and you accomplish something, then you've created a trait where you feel that you can beat anything no matter what. People handle that a lot of different ways. Some people are like, 'It's me against the world.' The way we handle this, we have to make sure that the people who can control what's happening on that field control it in a positive manner."
On the changes that were made before the Cincinnati game and what will happen this week:
"I'll probably have a better sense of that after this game, to be able to comment on the things that we addressed and some of those things. I think what happens now is that it puts me in a tough situation if I say anything in a positive light because we went out and lost a football game. Obviously we didn’t do enough of what we should have done to put us in a position to win. I think it's very hard because I'll always tell you the truth, but I'm not going to be up here giving people excuses. We're in a hole, and we put ourselves in a hole, and we have to dig our way out of it. We have to go out there and do everything we possibly can this week to win a football game."
On the injury update:
"The only person who I know who will be out this week is (senior fullback) Adam Harris, for sure. I'll know more later on in the week. That's the truth."
What are some of the main things that the team has left on the table?
"Some of the opportunities that we've had in games that we've lost to put us in this situation. It's one of those things when you ask, 'How did we get to where we are?' You look and evaluate it and look at what you've done. At the end of the day, you are what your record states, and we're a 5-6 football team right now. None of us wanted to be that type of team. Those are the things that you're constantly looking at and evaluating so that you can change. Like I said before, it's something that we have to work through and we have to keep pushing and get over the top. This has to be our best coaching job and our best performance on the field that we've had all year. That's our goal."
On the impact that the upcoming game has on the preparation this week:
"In college, there are some players where this might be their last game, and that's a sadness that I have, personally. We're going to have seniors who have done everything they could for this program, and they're going to go out there and play a game and it might be the last time they ever play.
"I had a lot of coaches here, and they used to explain that situation to us a little bit. They would tell us that you've done everything in your life to be a Division I football athlete. I had one coach tell me that if you go on and play in the NFL, that's great, but if you don't, you probably won't be able to play at this same level of competition ever again. When you're 21 or 22 years old, you kind of hear it, but as you go through life, that's the thing that I personally, struggle with in this sport.
"You can't leave college or go out and get into a (football) game and go play. I think you can do that in golf. If you're a baseball player, you can go play in a softball league. But you can't do this (football) anymore, whether it's physically or just putting people together.
"I think that's really how I look at this for those players because we're a program that's constantly striving for excellence and to get better. So every single day, you're putting in that type of effort. The program keeps going. The program is bigger than anything, so the program always has to keep moving forward. That's why I'm struggling so much with what we've done in these past four games. We're not moving in that direction right now, and that's hurt. That's physically hurts."
What tools are you trying to give the team to help them battle back from a four-game losing streak?
"We have to win, and we'll use a couple of different methods in talking to the team. I never like saying anything in my press conference that I haven't spoke to the players about. I don't think that's right. We'll do some motivational techniques, but you're motivation no matter what in this game. Whether you've won every game or lost every game, you have to motivate and inspire every week. That's part of coaching. As a player, you have to build yourself up every week to be able to put your best performance on during the game. It's not going to be anything that's shocking. Things change and there are different techniques that you can use. A lot of it is based on the team and what you can say and do to motivate a majority of the team, because everyone's a little bit different on how they're motivated."
How important is it for the team to work hard and to move forward?
"I think it's very important, especially in these types of situations. When you put in all that work and there's nothing to gain from it. That goes back to a lot of what I was taught here as a player (with Coach Dick MacPherson). Winning is important because you go out and work hard and set goals for yourself, and winning is part of the experience. I put a lot of pressure on myself for that because I know that it will help the players later on in life.
"There's a tremendous amount of pressure, but I enjoy it. What we have to do is make sure that our players don't play with that. They need to go out there and play and not think and not worry about making mistakes. I have to make sure that they understand that and they have that ability to go out there and not play tight; to just play the game and fly around and see what happens. That's the thing that you have to do becomes you either become tighter and you can't make plays, or you step up and you make plays. You never stay the same. Obviously you know which one we're going for, we want our players to go out there and make plays."
On how the team is dealing with the allegations with the men's basketball program
"We're Syracuse University, so we support the University and their statements and everything that is going on from the standpoint of what we're trying to do to make sure that everything is done the proper way. That's the way we feel as a team, and that's how I feel as part of this University."
On Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri:
"I've seen them and at times, it's the same situation. They've been able to do a lot of good things sometimes, and other times they haven't had that consistency. It's a lot like the situation that we're in. but they're a very good football team. Defensively, I believe they're 42nd. They return a lot of players who we played against last year. Offensively, they have weapons and they're explosive at times. It's a high octane, fast-paced type offense, so we're going to have to be ready.
"I think more of our concern right now is to make sure that we’re in the right state of mind in what we're doing. I think that's our concentration now. As we go through the week, obviously we'll be putting forth the effort to make sure that we understand what we have to do to beat the University of Pittsburgh and their schemes and what they're trying to do to attack us."
Despite leaving things on the table, is it more motivating that the team still has an opportunity to still get a bowl bid?
"We talked about that after the game a little bit. A lot of times as you get older in life, you don't get many second chances. You definitely don't a lot of third, fourth, fifth or sixth chances. We're in a position now where this is our fifth opportunity. It's probably the last time that we'll ever have this opportunity where you have five opportunities to get to a bowl.
"You have to take advantage of it, and we haven't been able to do it for four straight weeks. We have that opportunity, and obviously that should be good motivation, but there has to be more to it than that because that's been the motivation for the past four weeks."
What have you seen from the senior class in the three seasons that you've been here?
"They've tried to do everything that we've wanted them to do. They're going through the same struggles that I'm going through. You're trying to find answers to questions of why we're not performing that well, and that's why I have to be the person who stands up and tells them exactly what we're doing. We're doing everything we possibly can to make sure that we have the ability to win a football game this week and get back on track.
"I have a lot of respect for all the student-athletes in all the programs at Syracuse in what they have to go through from time management, to the training, to the goals of the teams to the competitiveness in everyone. I have the same thoughts about the players who we here before I was here in Coach Robinson's players, Coach Pasqualoni's players, Coach MacPherson's players, Coach Schwartzwalder’s teams and on and on. I think there's a great amount of respect because we've all gone through the same seats and same types of programs and dedication.
"I look at things a lot like John Wooden in that you don't know how successful your program is until 15-20 years from now to see where those kids are. I feel very confident that we'll be reading about a majority of our players in a positive light where they've changed something for the betterment of this country."
